Liverpool FC have learned to cope without Luis Suarez - Joe Allen

Allen admits it took time to adapt to life without the Uruguay international

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Joe Allen insists Liverpool have learned to cope without Luis Suarez – and believes the Reds may even have “taken a step forward” in the Uruguayan’s absence.

Suarez’s departure for Barcelona last summer has been held up by many as a reason for Liverpool’s struggles since. The striker was the Premier League’s top scorer last season with 31 goals, picking up both the PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year in the process.

Without him, and with Daniel Sturridge sidelined through injury, Brendan Rodgers’ side struggled initially, stuttering to their worst start to a league season since 1964/65.

But recent months have been far more encouraging. The Reds have steadily rebuilt their form, and now sit just two points outside the top four positions, having lost just one league game since November.

Allen admits the initial period after Suarez’s exit was difficult, but says they are operating at, potentially, an even better level now.

He said: “At the start of the year we talked about how losing Suarez was going to have an effect but now we have overcome that.

“It took us a little bit of time to overcome that because the injury problems we had were not ideal.

“We are certainly back up to that level and if anything with the different system we play this season we might even have taken a step forward.”

Allen told the Liverpool ECHO last week that he had never had any doubts about Liverpool’s ability to rediscover their best form.

And after Sunday’s win over Southampton at St Mary’s, he reaffirmed his belief that the criticism received earlier in the season was fair.

He added: “Sometimes (criticism) gets taken out of hand but I don’t think it was unfair. There was no hiding places and we were not delivering as players.

“There was no excuse from us. We knew there might be a difficult patch early in the season and that probably went on longer than we hoped and expected.

“At the same time we always knew we would come through it and I think that was the biggest sign we would be where we are at this stage.”